Chinese Grand Prix: Race Analysis

After Saturday's tactics, it was always anticipated that today's race was set to be a classic. We were not disappointed as the split strategies kept everyone firmly on the edge of their seats. With sublime race pace throughout, it was Fernando Alonso who claimed his first win of the season; his second at the Shanghi International Circuit. The rest of the field was full of superb performances and bitter disappointments, making for some interesting conclusions.
Fernando is famous for making fast starts and this was once again the case today. He managed to jump up to second before turn one, courtesy of compromised clutch bitepoint settings cost Raikkonen a poor getaway. It was not long before Fernando, (and teammate Massa) were challenging Lewis Hamilton for the lead. Both managed to topple the Mercedes and from this position, Alonso never looked back. In each and every stint, the Spaniard extended his lead, controlling the pace, with additional speed available on demand. It was an ominous Ferrari victory.

Chinese Grand Prix: Saturday Analysis

Strategy was always set to dictate Qualifying and while Q3 seemed to be anything but a spectacle for a time, the variation in tyre choice made for a captivating end to the Qualifying hour. Lewis Hamilton increased in confidence throughout the session, finishing with an inch perfect lap to take his first pole for Mercedes. Teammate Nico Rosberg threatened to make it a Mercedes front row lockout, before a mistake in the final corner curtailed his aspirations. He starts P4.

Chinese Grand Prix: Friday Analysis

The Chinese Grand Prix weekend begun slowly today, with activity in FP1 significantly limited by the green circuit. This was compounded by the fact that the soft compound tyre appears to have a similar drop off rate as the medium tyre did during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend. Subsequently, tyre conservation was the order of the day. Nevertheless, the FP1 and FP2 sessions answered several questions, with Mercedes proving to be the surprise of the field. Meanwhile, Ferrari and Felipe Massa also appeared to have very good long and short run pace. It is certainly finely poised heading into tomorrow's Qualifying.

Chinese Grand Prix: Weekend Preview

Well, we have been waiting for a while for the hotly anticipated return of Formula One. Our eagerness was justifiable considering the enthralling races in Australia and Malaysia. The latter was full of controversy and all eyes will be on Red Bull as they attempt to repair the damage caused by Vettel's petulance. However, his most recent comments featured below are sure to rekindle the debate. Not the steady start to the weekend that Red Bull were surly after.

Da Costa Fills In For Buemi

After several spectacular performances in GP3 last season, Red Bull youngster Antonio Felix Da Costa has taken one more step towards Formula One. The Portuguese star will act as Red Bull reserve driver for the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, after reserve regular Sebastian Buemi, will be absent from the weekend.

Hulkenberg Targets Points

After failing to make the grid in Australia, Sauber star Nico Hulkenberg returned to the top ten in Malaysia with an excellent performance. His eighth place finish was a worthy reward after a long battle with Kimi Raikkonen. The German is looking to add to his points tally this weekend, despite describing the Shanghi International Circuit as "not one of my favourite tracks."